How the support that students receive during online learning influences their academic performance

Abstract In recent years educational institutions are increasingly using online learning and because of this trend it is necessary to investigate its impact on student academic performance. Although this topic has been addressed in different educational fields before, there is an objective justification for our approach. Thus, the reasoning behind this particular research is the fact that recent findings have shown that the academic performance of students using online education is affected by a series of motivating factors which can have an impact on their performance. The main goal of this paper is to highlight and analyze the mediating effect of intrinsic student motivation and student academic engagement and how they affect the relationship between the range of support, which students receive during their online learning and thus their academic performance. This study was conducted in two higher educational institutions in Mexico and Romania, with a sample of 822 students. The data was analyzed using a second generational PLS-SEM technique. The results confirm that the support students enjoy during online learning has no direct impact on their academic performance, unless it is fully mediated by their own intrinsic motivation and academic engagement. The influence of Gender was also analyzed, but it was not found to be a determining factor of academic performance in both higher educational institutions. These findings not only have theoretical and practical implications for students, teachers and education authorities, they also help us to broaden the field of knowledge in the e-learning environment.